Cotton stripper having auxiliary pneumatic means



Jan. 3, 1950 H. sARTlN 2,493,422

COTTON STRIPPER HAVING AUXILIARY PNEUMATIC MEANS Filed Feb. 5.11946 v ssheets-sheet 1 Q QQ fave/#ar l 'nsel' Jan. 3, 1950 H. sARTlN 2,493,422

COTTON STRIPPER HAVING AUXILIARY PNEUMATIC MEANS Filed Feb. 5, 1946 5Sheets-Sheet 2 lib/Mya Jan. 3, 15950 H. sAR'nN 2,493,422

COTTON STRIPPER HAVING AUXILIARY PNEUMATIC MEANS Filed Feb. 5, 1946 5Sheets-$11991'l 3 Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNIT ED ST ES' F F Vl CE COTTNjS TRIPPER HAVING AUXILIARY PN EUMATIC Sl l This linstant application.is .a continuation in partof'my copending vapplication 5765565, filed`ingA the-movement of the .tractor over. the eld..

Anotherzobject of' the invention is the provision :ofipneumatic meansoperated by the tractor: for 'carrying'. the cotton `on' the fingers to`a:

Vehicle towed by thetraotor.

Still another object of the inventionais the.

previsioni/Lof an :implement'of the class v'described amico-f' simple.durable and keconomical construe-'- tion...

V'Anotheroin ect of therinvention `is theprovis'ion of an implementincluding pneumatic means 'piv'.-

oted to 'the itractor f and `supportedY bythe 'cotton pickingz'mechanismin operative and finoperativef position.

'With' these and other 'objects rand advantages inwiew th'einVentionresidesfinthe noveltyaoffcon structiorr,\ combination and larrangementof parts hereinafter described in detail'and claimedin theausrp'endedclairns.-

The'i'descrintionshould be read'in connection witlrzthe accompanyingdrawings .wherein- Eigurel isa=side elevation of the preferredemoociirnentoimyV invention, partly in section;

Figureis a top planA View.; -Eigure -r3 is=a iront `end-view;

Eigfurefl is :an enlarged transverse detail :sec-1 Figure 45-is afragmentary -persnectiveviewfoff the air deiiector;

In the drawings in which like characters'zof reference designate like orsimilar parts, Figures l-xto 3 show-a conventional farmtractorincludingv rear Wheels Zspacedfrom. one another toancx-v tentpermitting these wheels to straddle two rows;`

ofcotton, rear axle 3, a pair of frontor steering .wheels 5-relativelyclose togetherand ,there-i fore adapted to run between the` rows.Theffronti wheelsware `journaled on shaftsextending `from opposite sidesof the lower end of an axleA support.

6 journaledwith itsupper endrin-tlretractor.

The-tractor has va 4tf-pulley iconnected byawVi-belti'Ltosfa .smallerv-pulley i2 thesshaft |31- of'zwhichis journaled in'a pair'ofbea-ringsladine posediforwardl-y-.of the tractorand-'each supported i on:horizontal. zangles: n l5; welded. Aor :otherwise l se 2. cured'rateither end to the` upper ends of raxpairA of downwardly diver-.gingstruts il'. The'lcwer: ends ofthe same are. carried by the horizontalconfronting 'flanges of a-pairof angles i9 con-f nected at their forwardends-by atie 25.3.. The; lower end of each forward strut i? is joinedby. a1rod12l :to the ltie (Figure 2i. The .inner angle I9fis connectedat .its front 'endrtothe upper rend of azdownwardly and. rearwardlyextending brace 23r-having a` horizontal portion 93 :aixedlat its. rear'end to the front #part of the tractorfrarne. A'substantiallyrectangular `frame 25 lis arranged Withyitsplane vertically disposedandattached by one. of its-vertical :members 94 to -oneside-:of: theforward part rof 'the'tractor frame; The ver@ tical'sidefmemberszofiframe 25are eachsecured to thefrear end of fthe anglesi9. A downwardlyl and inwardly 'extending brace' 25 supportsithe outervlower end. of frame 25 land is attached at-y itslower end tothe sideofthe front part of theV tractor'frame.

Thepulley shaft i3 extends to the leftoi its left-handzbearing intoazsubstantially cylindrical blowerv housing, 28 suitably carried'wby thetractor frame and drives .aY blower v(not shown);A From the left-handside wall of the'housing extendsV ahorizontal vpipe 36 communicatingwith .the in-` teriorthereof and 4closedfat its. outer end. An airopening 3| `is provided'in ,the 'lower peripheral wall of 'pipe 3 and isadaptedsto be brought into registrywitha similar opening 32 0f a splitsleevel 33 including radial `lugs V34 apertured for insertion of'tightening bolts 35.' Byl this' means 4the pressure of air produced bythe, blower Ymay becontrolled through' rotational adjustment of sleeve33'on vpipe 3i) wherebythe openings 2i 'and 32 fcan be placed incomplete or in restricted reg- A istration;- or,` if desired,A in:non-registration.

In communication with the interior of the; blower housing and 'connectedAto the lower'party th'ereof is'a conduit- 38 having atiits lower andlaterally extending branches 39 each joined ati its-outerend to anextension Mi. A tie lli riveted at eitherend toy an extension assuresthe con nection of thelatter to the branches '39; Elbows;

4'2 areeach" pivotally connected at their inner and forwardends to one'of thepipe extensions.

and are disposed in rearwardly declining planes andattached' at theVlower rear'ends to the'upper end-'of` aV branch connection #i4 dividinginto divergingf'branches 45 each aiiixed at its lowerl end to one of theparallel `rearwardly decliningpipes 46.

VThe-loweropenrends of the samefeach overlier the transyersely` curved:lower ,front-aendfdSfof arri air deiiector the rear end of which iswelded or otherwise secured to the end portion of a hinge barrel 5|.Thus a pair of deectors in spaced relation are pivoted by such a barrelon a horizontal shaft 52 extending outwardly from the lower end ofbracket 53 which is afiixed by fasteners 54 to one side of the tractorframe. The inner end of the shaft is also held by the lower end of aforwardly rising brace 55 the upper forward end of which is attached tothe same side of the tractor by fastener 54.

Along the outer edges of the deflectors extend outwardly bulging casingwalls 56 of trapezoidal shape which are connected at their lower rearends to one end of the hinged barrel and further connected near theirends to one another by a horizontal tie 51 underlying the deflectors anda plurality of spaced teeth or fingers 59 disposed between thedeflectors. rI hese fingers are welded or otherwise afxed to the hingebarrel. A hood 5B of wire netting or the like connects the rear part ofthe upper marginal portions of a pair of walls 55 on one side of thetractor. To the outer side of each side wall and near the lower edgethereof is connected a small ground wheel or roller 53.

To the forward part of the lower edge of the inner wall is connected thelower end of a chain 52 or other flexible member of a length suiiicientto suspend the picking assembly described closely above the ground andattached at the upper end to the tractor frame. Rearward of the chain 52is a lifting chain 54 fastened with its lower end to the lower edge ofthe inner casing wall and with its upper end to the forward end of theshorter arm of a bell crank also including a longer handle arm 57. Thesame is within easy reach of the driver on the seat of the tractor onone side thereof and xed upon the right-hand end of a shaft B8projecting beyond the same side of the tractor and extendingtransversely thereof. This shaft is mounted for limited rotation in thetractor and extends also beyond the left side thereof and carries uponits extending part a lever arm 55 similar and disposed in parallelism tothe arm 55 previously described, the latter lever arm 55 having theupper end of a lifting chain, not shown, likewise disposed on the leftside of the tractor and similar to the previously described liftingchain 64 on the right e side of the tractor. The lever arm 65 andlifting chain on the left side of the tractor have a similar function asthe arm 65 and the lifting chain 64 on the right side of the tractor, i.e. that of lifting a picker assembly which is a substantial duplicate ofthe assembly mounted on the right side of the tractor and described. Tothe righthand side of the tractor and inwardly of the lever 55, 6'! isfixed a toothed segment 1I] the teeth of which coacts with the lower endof a pawl 'H slidable in a guide F2 attached to the handle arm E1. Thepawl is pivoted at its upper end to a rod 73 which is pivotallyconnected at its upper end to a bent finger lever 1d. fulcrumed at 15upon the handle arm 5l' and urged by a spring 16 to the position ofFigure l in which the pawl is inserted between a pair of adjacentsegment teeth.

Rearwardly of each picker assembly is the forwardly aring mouth piece18. The mouth pieces form the forward ends of a pair of rearwardlycouver-:ging conveyor tubes 'i9 which connect to a tube 85 rst extendingrearwardly and then forwardly and in communication with the rear and lowpressure side of a blower casing 82. A

blower (not shown) operates within the casing and is connected to apulley 83 on the outside of the casing and coupled by belt 84 to a powertakeoff pulley 85 driven by the tractor motor.

To the top and high pressure side of blower housing 82 is connected thelower end of a conveyor tube 81 first rising vertically and thenprojecting rearwardly above the front wall of the body of the VehicleThe housing 82 is attached at the bottom by fasteners 54 to therearwardly directed depressed 'part of Ia bracket 89 the raised forwardpart of which is a'ixed by fastener 54 to the underside of the tractorframe. The downwardly directed part of a bracket 9D is fastened byfastener 54 to the front side of the rear blower housing and includes aforwardly projecting part secured by fastener 54 to the rear top-portion of the tractor.

To either side or" the rear frame portion of the tractor and near therear axle thereof is secured by fasteners 54 the rear end of a brace 92which projects forwardly and outwardly and supports at its front end theouter end of a shaft 52.

When the implement described is in a shed or is run over a road to itsfield of operation, the picker assembly is held in a substantiallyhorizontal position by the chain G4 and the hand lever 55, 6I is held ina rearwardly inclined position by the engagement of the pawl 'Il withone of the rear teeth of the segment '10. When the picker assembly is insubstantially horizontal and inoperative position, it supports the rearends of `pipes 45 which can pivot about a transverse hori- Zontal axisowing to the pivotal connection between the horizontal leg of elbow 42and the adjacent extension 4|.

Upon arrival of the implement in its field of operation the lever 65, 67is swung to the position of Figure 1 in which the picker assemblies areheld in close relation above the ground by the chain 4(i2.

To operate the picker described and shown the tractor is run over theeld straddling two adjacent rows of cotton and both blowers are in operation. The picking fingers engage between the branches of the plant andbeneath the cotton bolls and strip the latter from the former. Thepicking fingers together form in effect a tablelike member above andupon which the stripped cotton -bolls are deposited in a substantiallycommon plane in the paths of the merging streams of positive andnegative air -pressure from the blower pipes 46 and the conveyor tubes19 whereby the bolls are effectively carried into the conveyor tubes.The streams of air emerging from the lower ends of pipes 46 carry thecotton rearwardly and upwardly into the mouth pieces 'I8 whence thesuction of the conveyor tubes carries the cotton into the body of thevehicle towed by the tractor.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which ycome within the scope of myinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a cotton picker, a group of forwardly declining laterally spacedlingers for stripping bolls from cotton plants between the fingers asthe picker is moved forwardly, vertical side walls rising on oppositesides of said group, forwardly declining deflectors extendinglongitudinally along the inner sides of said sidewalls and substantiallyon a level with the ngers of said group, a. suction manifold behind saidgroup comprising forwardly directed intake mouths located at theelevated rearward ends of said deiiectors, a blower manifold comprisingrearwardly declining blower tubes terminating at their lower ends innozzles opening onto the forward ends of said deflectors, and means forblowing air through said nozzles so as to direct air rearwardly lalongthe upper sides of said defiectors and Ialong the inner sides of saidsidewalls so as to drive stripped boils along said group of iingerstoward said suction manifold mouths while exerting suction through saidsuction manifold whereby stripped boils arriving at the rearward end ofsaid group of iingers are `drawn into said suction manifold.

2. In a cotton picker, a group of forwardly declining laterally spacedfingers for stripping boils from cotton plants between the fingers asthe picker is moved forwardly, vertical side walls rising on oppositesides of said group, forwardly declining deflectors extendinglongitudinally along the inner sides of said sidewalls landsubstantially on a level with the fingers of said group, a suctionmanifold behind said group comprising forwardly directed intake mouthslocated Iat the elevated rearward ends of said deflectors,1a blowermanifold comprising rearwardly declining blower tubes terminating attheir lower ends in nozzles opening onto the forward ends of saiddeflectors, and means for blowing air through said nozzles so as todirect air rearwardly along the upper sides of said deflectors and alongthe inner sides of said sidewalls so as to drive stripped boils lalongsaid group of lingers toward said suction manifold mouths while exertingsuction through said suction manifold whereby stripped Ibolls arrivingat the rearward end of said group of iingers are drawn into said suctionmanifold, a screen extending between said sidewalls ;at the rearwardends thereof and Aabove said suction mouths to confine rearwardly drivenboils between said sidewalls, said screen having Ia rearwardly decliningportion terminating at the lowel` ends thereof in the regions of saidsuction mouths `for directing rearwardly moving boils into said suctionmouths.

HANSEL SARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 359,724 Hanks Mar. 22, 1887451,589 Baldwin May 5, 1891 485,430 Riner Nov. 1, 1892 1,122,375 EngleDec. 29, 1914 1,400,522 Cannon Dec. 20, 1921 1,722,747 Hentz July 30,1929 1,789,803 Boone Jan. 20, 1931 1,961,447 Nisbet June 5, 19342,013,816 West Sept. 10, 1935

